Outstanding Faculty Recognized With Awards  

Allan Jacobson
Esther Farfel Award

Some aspire to win acclaim for their accomplishments. Others view praise as icing on the cake.

Such is the case for Allan Jacobson, this year’s Esther Farfel Award recipient.

“This is a very important award for a faculty member at the University of Houston, and it is a great honor to have been selected,” Jacobson, professor of chemistry, said. “Of course, one of the most important things about this university has been the opportunity to collaborate with people, not only in the chemistry department but in other departments, such as chemical engineering and physics. That has been very important in my research and has made a real difference in the work I do.”

And, teamwork is crucial in accomplishing the goals Jacobson has set in researching fuel cells and their applications.

From more cost-efficient power generation to reducing pollution emitted from big-rig trucks, the utilization of fuel cells has many aspects. And, Jacobson, who also is the Robert Welch Chair of Science and Chemistry, hopes that by developing new materials, and improving old ones, he will generate research that leads to fuel cells that can be more widely used.

“The intention is to make fuel cells more efficient and less expensive. Right now, they are used on a very small scale,” he said.

According to Jacobson, fuel cells are currently being used to power space shuttles, and some companies use them to generate power at their plants.

But, Jacobson’s expertise in chemistry isn’t found in his research alone.

The director of UH’s Center for Material Chemistry also finds time to judge local science fairs and hosts visits to his lab for students in K - 12.

“We are trying to reach out to young students and encourage them to get involved in the physical sciences,” Jacobson said.

“We also want more undergraduate students doing research. The statistics aren’t good. We need to get students interested in the sciences.”

To boost that interest, Jacobson said the center has a program, which is funded by the National Science Foundation, that brings in undergraduate students from UH and other universities to conduct research.

“Even if they don’t choose that line of study, they at least have the appreciation and understanding for what science and research are about,” he said.

The program is held every summer, with about 10 students participating.

In the next five years, Jacobson hopes to shift the focus of his research.

“I want to work on some things that I have become interested in over the past few years, including nano-science,” he said.

“And, if that doesn’t work out, I’ll do something else.”

Steven Blanke
Excellence in Research and Scholarship Award

Steven Blanke’s emergence as a leader in his field has earned him the Excellence in Research and Scholarship Award. The associate biology and biochemistry professor has established a productive, high-quality research program since coming to UH in 1996. Blanke is recognized nationally and internationally for his work. His laboratory, known as the Blanke Lab, investigates fundamental mechanisms underlying the infectious disease process, with special emphasis on understanding the bacterial-human interface. One of his ultimate goals is to generate new strategies for both preventing and treating diseases that cause suffering in humans.

According to one colleague, Blanke “represents a new generation of investigators in the field of microbial pathogenesis who bring both innovative thought and approaches to the study of problems of national and international importance.”

“I am tremendously honored and humbled to have received this award,” Blanke said. “It affirms the importance and quality of research conducted by the members of our laboratory here at UH.”

Charles Dalton
Enron Teaching Excellence Award

It was 1960 when Charles Dalton, professor of mechanical engineering, stood in front of a classroom to teach for the first time. Forty-three years later, Dalton continues to inspire and guide students through his rigorous curriculum.

Credited by students and faculty alike with possessing a pure, motivating teaching style. Dalton presents difficult concepts of fluid mechanics in ways, which are interesting and involving. He reinforces his lectures with meaningful examples and illustrations.

The veteran educator has high standards and high expectations for his students. He is one who strives for excellence and does not abandon his students at the classroom door; he also makes himself available outside the classroom.

“I truly enjoy the constant effort to try to generate student interest and enthusiasm,” Dalton said. “Class participation is sometimes not easy to accomplish in engineering courses, but it is essential in developing and maintaining an interesting course. My favorite teachers from my student days were those who got the class involved by their enthusiasm for the subject. I try to accomplish the same thing. Hopefully, it works more often than not.”

Dalton can rest assured his teaching style works.

P. Shiv Halasyamani
Excellence in Research and Scholarship Award

Shiv Halasyamani, assistant chemistry professor, has developed a broad, funded materials chemistry research program in a remarkably short time. The Excellence in Research and Scholarship Award winner’s research involves fundamental synthetic studies of new materials and detailed physical property measurements.

“Shiv is an energetic and imaginative young investigator,” said one of his colleagues. “His work is beginning to be recognized by the solid-state chemistry community.”

“I am extremely honored and pleased to be awarded the Excellence in Research and Scholarship Award at the assistant professor level,” Halasyamani said. “The award reflects the strong departmental support I have received since arriving at UH in 1999 and my good fortune to have had excellent graduate students and postdoctoral associates in my research group. Without these talented scientists working in the lab, the research could not have been as successful.”

Chidiogo Madubike
Graduate Teaching Assistant Award

Practice makes perfect.

That’s an adage that University of Houston outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award recipient Chidiogo Madubike takes to heart with her students. Although she is currently working on her Ph.D. thesis in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Madubike serves as a lab assistant and an instructor.

“I believe that as an instructor, I should teach them what they should know and use real-life examples to keep students interested,” wrote Madubike in her teaching philosophy. “I give a lot of homework to enable them to practice on their own, and I test them often, so I get to know their weak areas and help them, if necessary.”

Such beliefs have translated into her classes.

“Students seek out her sections because word passed on that if you take her class, you will learn the material and be well prepared for the next courses in the sequence,” said Fritz Claydon, professor and chair of the department.

Chad McNutt
Graduate Teaching Assistant Award

Preparedness and a willingness to help students have helped Chad McNutt earn a Graduate Teaching Assistant Award.

In his philosophy of teaching, McNutt, an instructional assistant for the Department of Biology and Biochemistry, wrote that a crucial aspect of education is recognizing that each member of his class is capable of offering insight on the curriculum.

“A teacher must recognize that every student has a contribution to make and provide an arena in which questions can be raised and addressed,” McNutt wrote.

His students and colleagues in the department admire his ability to convey complex concepts to his class.

William Monroe
Enron Teaching Excellence Award

With The Honors College busily preparing a new home in the M.D. Anderson Library expansion, the program’s associate director, William Monroe, has had his hands full. But nothing has compromised the English professor’s enthusiasm for teaching.

“If everyone knew how much fun teaching can be, everyone would be clamoring to get in the classroom,” said Monroe, who has been at the University of Houston since 1985. “Not all of us get the pleasure and confirmation that comes from classroom teaching, but I like to think all my students will become teachers in whatever walk of life they find themselves.”

That positive attitude has earned Monroe the respect of his colleagues.
“In an era often marked by narrow specialization, Bill has drawn upon his research expertise to develop new courses in such areas as literature and medicine,” said a colleague recommending him for this honor.

Lonny Hoffman
Enron Teaching Excellence Award

Lonny Hoffman hasn’t been at the University of Houston very long, just long enough to make a big impression. The assistant professor of law, who joined the UH Law Center faculty in 2001, is praised by colleagues and students alike as a teacher who can be extremely challenging, but immensely effective.

“He is not one to spoon-feed,” observed one of his appreciative pupils.
“Lonny prepares the students to solve legal problems for a lifetime,” added an admiring faculty associate.

Of his rigorous approach to instruction, Hoffman said, “I place little emphasis on rote memorization of rules. My hope, instead, is to encourage students to think through and assess legal questions on their own. On the best days, students are exposed to authentic examples of legal decision-making, and they respond to the material by thinking about the law as lawyers.”

Carolyn Boone
Enron Teaching Excellence Award

For Carolyn Boone, the classroom isn’t too unlike the stage. Just as she loves directing and performing, Boone, the recipient of the Enron Teaching Excellence Award, enjoys working with students.

“It’s a joyride,” Boone said. “Teaching is what I’m supposed to do and fortunately, I have students who are delightful and a pleasure.”
As an associate professor of acting and directing at the University of Houston, she loves teaching others about the craft of entertaining.

“She has proven to be a tireless innovator in the classroom,” said Sidney Berger, director of the School of Theatre. “She’s devoted to her students and has engendered an admirable loyalty among them.”

A stage veteran herself, Boone is an active participant in the Children’s Theatre Festival, directing such productions as last year’s “The Princess and the Pea.”

Paul Hardin
Excellence in Research and Scholarship Award and John and Rebecca Moores Professor

As the body’s biological clock keeps ticking, Paul Hardin keeps searching for answers that may explain its impact on health and well-being.
Hardin, professor of biology and biochemistry, is one of this year’s John and Rebecca Moores Professors and an Excellence in Research and Scholarship Award recipient.

By using Drosophila (fruit flies) as the basis of his studies, Hardin offers insight into how the biological clock might affect physiology and behavior. Hardin recently had an article on his research published in Current Biology, a professional journal.

“I am truly honored to be selected as a John and Rebecca Moores Professor,” Hardin said. “It is gratifying to receive this special recognition of my research, teaching and service at UH.”

Hardin helped develop the Department of Biology and Biochemistry’s graduate programs by implementing policies and procedures with regard to recruitment, admissions, advancement to candidacy and ongoing monitoring.